BASIC FACTS ABOUT ALCOHOL AND ALCOHOL USE
- Prevalence of Drinking (All): According to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 86.4 percent of people ages 18 or older reported that they drank alcohol at some point in their lifetime; 70.1 percent reported that they drank in the past year; 56.0 percent reported that they drank in the past month. (Source 1)
- Prevalence of Drinking (Under age): According to the 2015 NSDUH, 33.1 percent of 15-year-olds report that they have had at least 1 drink in their lives.17 About 7.7 million people ages 12–2018 (20.3 percent of this age group) reported drinking alcohol in the past month (19.8 percent of males and 20.8 percent of females). (Source 1)
- Prevalence of Drinking (College students): According to the 2015 NSDUH, 58.0 percent of full-time college students ages 18–22 drank alcohol in the past month compared with 48.2 percent of other persons of the same age. (Source 1)
- Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD): AUD is a chronic relapsing brain disease characterized by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse social, occupational, or health consequences. AUD can range from mild to severe, and recovery is possible regardless of severity. The fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM–IV), published by the American Psychiatric Association, described two distinct disorders—alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence—with specific criteria for each. The fifth edition, DSM–5, integrates the two DSM–IV disorders, alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence, into a single disorder called alcohol use disorder, or AUD, with mild, moderate, and severe subclassifications. (Source 1)
- Binge Drinking (SOURCE 1):
- NIAAA defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels to 0.08 g/dL. This typically occurs after 4 drinks for women and 5 drinks for men—in about 2 hours.
- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which conducts the annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), defines binge drinking as 5 or more alcoholic drinks for males or 4 or more alcoholic drinks for females on the same occasion (i.e., at the same time or within a couple of hours of each other) on at least 1 day in the past month.
- Heavy Alcohol Use: SAMHSA defines heavy alcohol use as binge drinking on 5 or more days in the past month. (Source 1)
- All states in the United States have adopted 0.08% (80 mg/dL) as the legal limit for operating a motor vehicle for drivers aged 21 years or older. However, drivers younger than 21 are not allowed to operate a motor vehicle with any level of alcohol in their system. (Source 3)
- About 90% of people who drink excessively would not be expected to meet the clinical diagnostic criteria for having a severe alcohol use disorder. A severe alcohol use disorder, previously known as alcohol dependence or alcoholism, is a chronic disease. Some of the signs and symptoms of a severe alcohol use disorder could include:
- Inability to limit drinking.
- Continuing to drink despite personal or professional problems.
- Needing to drink more to get the same effect.
- Wanting a drink so badly you can’t think of anything else. (Source 3)
THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF ALCOHOL
- An estimated 88,000 people (approximately 62,000 men and 26,000 women) die from alcohol-related causes annually, making alcohol the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States. The first is tobacco, and the second is poor diet and physical inactivity. (Source 1)
- In 2014, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities accounted for 9,967 deaths (31 percent of overall driving fatalities). (Source 1)
- In 2010, alcohol misuse cost the United States $249.0 billion. (Source 1)
- Three-quarters of the total cost of alcohol misuse is related to binge drinking. (Source 1)
- More than 10 percent of U.S. children live with a parent with alcohol problems, according to a 2012 study. (Source 1)
- According to the 2015 NSDUH, 33.1 percent of 15-year-olds report that they have had at least 1 drink in their lives. About 7.7 million people ages 12–2018 (20.3 percent of this age group) reported drinking alcohol in the past month (19.8 percent of males and 20.8 percent of females).
- Research indicates that alcohol use during the teenage years could interfere with normal adolescent brain development and increase the risk of developing AUD. In addition, underage drinking contributes to a range of acute consequences, including injuries, sexual assaults, and even deaths—including those from car crashes. (Source 1)
- Consequences for College Students—Researchers estimate that each year:
- 1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor-vehicle crashes.
- 696,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking.
- 97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 report experiencing alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape.
- Roughly 20 percent of college students meet the criteria for AUD.
- About 1 in 4 college students report academic consequences from drinking, including missing class, falling behind in class, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall. (Source 1)
- In 2015, of the 78,529 liver disease deaths among individuals ages 12 and older, 47.0 percent involved alcohol. Among males, 49,695 liver disease deaths occurred and 49.5 percent involved alcohol. Among females, 28,834 liver disease deaths occurred and 43.5 percent involved alcohol. (Source 1)
- Among all cirrhosis deaths in 2013, 47.9 percent were alcohol related. The proportion of alcohol-related cirrhosis was highest (76.5 percent) among deaths of persons ages 25–34, followed by deaths of persons ages 35–44, at 70.0 percent. (Source 1)
- In 2009, alcohol-related liver disease was the primary cause of almost 1 in 3 liver transplants in the United States.
- Drinking alcohol increases the risk of cancers of the mouth, esophagus, pharynx, larynx, liver, and breast. (Source 1)
- 5,800 suicides per year are attributed to alcohol (Source 5)
- In 2015, a total of 33,171 persons died of alcohol-induced causes in the United States (Source 6)
- In 1999, 7 in every 100,000 people died from alcohol-induced causes. In 2015, 10.3 in every 100,000 people died from alcohol-induced causes. (Source 6)
POSITIVE EFFECTS OF MODERATE ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION
- Moderate alcohol consumption, according to the 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, is up to 1 drink per day for women and up to 2 drinks per day for men. (Source 1)
- Moderate alcohol consumption may have beneficial effects on health. These include decreased risk for heart disease and mortality due to heart disease, decreased risk of ischemic stroke (in which the arteries to the brain become narrowed or blocked, resulting in reduced blood flow), and decreased risk of diabetes. (Source 1)
- In most Western countries where chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease (CHD), cancer, stroke, and diabetes are the primary causes of death, results from large epidemiological studies consistently show that alcohol reduces mortality, especially among middle-aged and older men and women—an association that is likely due to the protective effects of moderate alcohol consumption on CHD, diabetes, and ischemic stroke. (Source 1)
- It is estimated that 26,000 deaths were averted in 2005 because of reductions in ischemic heart disease, ischemic stroke, and diabetes from the benefits attributed to moderate alcohol consumption. (Source 1)
sources
- National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (n.d.). Alcohol Facts and Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Fact Sheets - Moderate Drinking. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/moderate-drinking.htm.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Alcohol and Public Health: Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/faqs.htm.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Alcohol and Public Health: Fact Sheets - Alcohol Use and Your Health https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (June 18, 2009). Alcohol and Suicide Among Racial/Ethnic Populations --- 17 States, 2005--2006. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5823a1.htm
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (November 27, 2017). National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 66, No. 6. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr66/nvsr66_06.pdf.